Child's Play
by MissFee
Summary: Sometimes it's just too hard to make sense of the world. WARNING: contains references to child abuse and a few other unsavoury issues. Don't like? Don't read!
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so here's a fic that's been rattling round in my brain for ages now. Sorry to those waiting for updates on "The Witching Hour" but I just can't seem to find my mojo at the moment – it might have something to do with a four day champagne-and-tequila bender, it might not – and frankly, who are you to judge? Be patient with me, and please review as you see fit! WARNING: this story touches on a few sensitive issues, namely child abuse. I have no intention of making light of such a terrible thing, rather I just want you all to be aware. If it's not your cup of tea, hit the back button on your browser. Disclaimer: I can barely pay my phone bill, so clearly I don't own these guys. Cheers!**

The shrill, incessant ringing of his cell phone woke him from a surprisingly deep sleep. Cursing softly, he reached for the light before answering it. A phone call at 2 in the morning never meant good news, especially when it was his team on rotation that weekend. "Yeah, Gibbs," he mumbled, rubbing his spare hand over his face. He listened intently for a moment, grunted an agreement and hung up his phone. He climbed out of bed with an energy that he didn't feel, reaching for his clothes with one hand as his other hit speed dial #1. "DiNozzo... yeah, we got a case. Ring the others, tell them to get to get their asses to the Yard in 20 minutes, we'll head out together." He rang off without so much as a good-bye; his gut was clenching and it had nothing to do with the dubious curry his Senior Field Agent had sourced for their dinner.

* * *

The team showed no signs of the exhaustion they undoubtedly felt as they travelled together to the crime scene. It had been a long few weeks for the MCRT as they had worked case after case with little time for rest in between – the curse of being the top team in the agency. Very little was said as they arrived at the Quantico Marine Base, until they pulled up outside the house in question. There were people everywhere, as well as several cars.

"What the hell's going on here?" asked DiNozzo as they hopped out of the truck.

"Hostage situation," replied Gibbs curtly. He strode up to the MPs standing on the front lawn. "Who's in charge here?" he barked.

"Uh, that would be me sir," one of them replied nervously.

"What do we know so far?"

"This is the house of Lt. Commander Cameron Wilkerson. Neighbours heard screams approximately 45 minutes ago, rang us. We came down to see what was going on, then realised this was bigger than us. That's when we called you guys."

"Do we know whose inside?" Gibbs asked.

"The Commander is on tour at the moment – currently on the _Reagan_ - so as far as we can tell it's his wife with some random guy. No word on the kid."

"There's a kid in there?" said DiNozzo incredulously. "And no one can account for him? Jesus Christ!"

Gibbs shot a look at his Agent that simply said 'calm down'. DiNozzo walked away to fill in his teammates on the situation so far, while Gibbs took a deep breath. "Has any contact been made with this so-called random?"

"Yessir," gabbled the MP, clearly trying to make up for the lack of control he had over the crisis. "He stuck his head out the front door before, said he's 'gonna kill the bitch' – and that's a direct quote. He's covered in blood; says he doesn't want anything except Mrs Wilkerson."

Gibbs nodded shortly, and called his team over. "We need to act now. McGee – what do we know about Wilkerson?"

McGee looked down at the phone in his hand. "Lt. Commander Cameron Wilkerson – 38, married to Alison, father to Zeke who's 5. Currently at sea on the _Reagan_; no record. Alison has one DUI recorded but is otherwise clean."

"Can we get eyes in there?"

"No chance Boss, not unless one of us goes in there." McGee gulped at the look that crossed over his Boss' face. Gibbs wanted to go in!

Fortunately, DiNozzo spotted that too. "Boss, that's just insane. That's a last resort, okay?" Gibbs scowled at the younger man. "Glare at me all you want, Boss, but if you go in there I'll shoot you myself."

Gibbs looked at the other two agents who were nodding in agreement with DiNozzo. He sighed in frustration, then pulled out his cell. "Do you mind if I call them?" he asked pointedly. McGee simply read out the home phone number that was listed. Gibbs shot one more evil look at his team, and walked away.

"What?" an angry voice snarled down the phone line.

"This is Special Agent Gibbs with NCIS. Who am I speaking with?" Gibbs kept his voice calm and moderated. If they were even a chance of getting the child out, there was no time to waste. They couldn't wait for hostage negotiators, it was time for action.

"What do you care who I am?"

"I care because I want to help. You're in a pile of shit as it is, but if you let me help you we can make some of it go away," Gibbs replied.

"Yeah, right! You get me to come outside, then someone puts a bullet through my brain. No fucking chance _Special Agent Gibbs_. This is my party and you're not invited!" The voice took on a slightly hysterical edge. "This bitch ruined my life!"

"How? Just what did she do? Believe me, nothing is so bad that it can't be fixed."

"And you know this how, oh high and mighty one? It's too late for me, so it's sure as hell too late for her." The voice cracked slightly. "She promised me that he was clean!"

"Promised you _who_ was clean?" asked Gibbs urgently. He had a suspicion, but kept it to himself for the time being.

"Ah, fuck it – it doesn't matter now. Goodbye Agent Gibbs." The phone hung up. Gibbs quickly hit the redial button, but before the call could connect a shot rang out through the night. Several of the onlookers screamed.

"DiNozzo, David – take the back! McGee, you're with me," ordered Gibbs, and the team quickly sprang into action, guns drawn. "Keep that crowd under control!" he shouted back to the bewildered MPs. He ran up to the front door, and making sure McGee was covering him, kicked it in. The scene that met him stopped him in his tracks. Calling out "clear!" to the team, he re-holstered his weapon and surveyed the carnage.

DiNozzo and Ziva came in from the back, and seeing their boss and coworker surrounded by the blood of two bodies, lowered their guns. The four stood in the room horrified at the sight in front of them. Alison Wilkerson had been butchered – there was no other word for it. The perpetrator was lying a few feet from her, gun just out of his fingertips and a hole in his temple. A bloody chef's knife lay in the middle of the floor. Gibbs broke the haunting silence that had fallen on the room. "Let's get to work."


	2. Chapter 2

Anthony DiNozzo Jr had seen hundreds, if not thousands, of crime scenes. It never ceased to amaze him that human beings could knowingly inflict such pain and damage to one another, and this was no exception. He didn't want to be the one to say it, but knew it had to be mentioned. "Boss, the kid...?" Gibbs looked at him with a fear in his eyes that the younger man had seen only on rare occasions. "On it, Boss, I'll find him."

* * *

DiNozzo hated cases that involved children. His had not been the happiest childhood, especially when his parents had been drinking, but he had made it through. It always broke his heart when he saw innocent kids being caught up in things they didn't understand. He walked from room to room before finding what had to be young Zeke's room. Batman bedspread, a Bat Signal night light, Lego on the floor, toys everywhere – yep, he'd found it. But there was no child in sight. "Zeke?" he called softly. "Are you in here?" He heard a soft whimper, but couldn't track it. "Zeke, my name is Tony, I'm an NCIS Agent. Do you know what NCIS is?" No response. "We're like the Police, except we look after the Marines and the Navy – just like your Dad." Tony moved into the room slowly, and flicked the overhead light on. Looking around the room, he had a hunch. He walked over to the wardrobe and carefully opened the door. Curled up in a ball on the floor was the young boy. "It's okay buddy, it's all over now. I promise it's safe to come out." Zeke looked up at him with big frightened eyes. Tony crouched down to his level, and held out his hand. "I promise. See, this is my badge. That says I am a Federal Agent with NCIS." The child cautiously reached out and grasped the proffered badge and examined it, before looking back at Tony with a glimmer of trust in his eyes. "How about we get out of here hey little buddy?" Zeke took Tony's hand and crawled out of the wardrobe.

"What happened to my Mommy?" he whimpered.

DiNozzo sighed heavily; this was definitely the part of the job he hated. He sat on the edge of the bed as he tried to find the right words. "Well, Zeke, your Mom died. The man that attacked her hurt her badly and she just couldn't hold on anymore."

The big brown eyes looked searchingly into the agent's green ones. Apparently satisfied with what he found, he let out a small sob. "I heard her yelling, but I was too scared to go down there. Maybe I should have..."

"Hey, listen to me." Tony, never entirely comfortable around kids, found it surprisingly easy to comfort this one. He pulled Zeke over so that the boy stood in front of him, and they were at eye level. "There is _nothing_ you could have done to stop this happening, okay? You did the right thing by hiding in your closet, don't ever think that you did bad." The poor child merely nodded his assent, as the tears flowed silently. Not quite understanding the urge, DiNozzo enveloped him in a gentle hug. Zeke stiffened slightly at the initial contact, but relaxed; this was a man he instinctively trusted. DiNozzo felt the child harden, but thought nothing more of it. After all, who wouldn't be a little off after finding out their mother had been killed? Still, he broke the hug first, all the while maintaining superficial contact with Zeke. "C'mon, let's go. Me and my friends are gonna take good care of you, I promise."

* * *

DiNozzo started to walk down the stairs, holding Zeke by the hand. Ziva met them at the bottom of the staircase. He gave Ziva a _look_ that simply said 'play nicely'.

Ziva smirked; she knew how to deal with kids, thank you very much! "You must be Zeke! My name is Ziva. I hope you are keeping Tony in line," she said holding her hand out. Zeke looked firstly at her, then up at his protector, then back at Ziva. He gave her the faintest glimmer of a smile, and reached out to shake her hand. She grinned, then reached out to tickle him. He squirmed away smiling a little more, but didn't let out more than a faint giggle. "Come," she said. "I think being up this late deserves some chocolate, yes?"

Again, Zeke looked up at DiNozzo, who nodded and smiled. "Yes, please," he whispered, and taking Ziva's hand, walked off through the kitchen and out the back door.

DiNozzo sighed heavily, before pulling himself together and rejoining his team in the living room. Thankfully, Ducky and Palmer had bagged the two bodies; all that remained was the spatters of blood all over the room.

Gibbs looked up as Tony entered the room. "How's the kid?" he asked.

"Oh, fine. Thinks it's his fault that his Mom is dead because he didn't try and save her, but apart from that, everything's just peachy," muttered DiNozzo.

Gibbs stared intently at his Senior Agent, wondering, not for the first time, what was going on inside the thick head that he so often slapped. DiNozzo purposely avoided eye contact with his boss, instead moving around the crime scene making sure everything was accounted for. Gibbs smiled grimly to himself – if there was one thing he could count on, it was that Tony DiNozzo could _not_ lie to him. He decided to save the conversation for a little later on in the day – maybe when it was actually daylight.

"Finished photographing Boss," reported McGee, breaking him out of his reverie.

"Good. Let's pack it up and get back to the Yard."


	3. Chapter 3

Dawn comes early, with rosy fingers, thought Gibbs wryly. He shook his head to clear it, and poured himself another cup of coffee. It was way too early in the day to be thinking of _The Odyssey_. His team had hit the ground running on this case, desperate to find some answers for when the Commander returned. McGee had come back with a positive ID on their perp – Alex Kendall, 32. Gibbs frowned as he looked over the rap sheet – multiple charges for assault, a few DUI's, inappropriate dealings with a minor – the guy was a natural menace.

DiNozzo watched over his young charge – Zeke was curled up under his desk, sound asleep, using his suit jacket as a pillow. Oh to be young and able to wear footie pyjamas, he thought. Out loud, he said, "Boss, this is ridiculous. There is _nothing_ tying Kendall to the Commander or his wife. I know he said he wanted revenge, but maybe he was confusing her with someone else?"

"Was Zeke able to tell us anything at all?" Gibbs asked wearily.

"Didn't ask yet Boss. Thought I'd let him get some sleep; I mean, it's not like Kendall's going anywhere."

Gibbs nodded in agreement. "He can't stay here though Tony, you know that right?"

"I know. It's just..." DiNozzo shrugged.

Gibbs phone started to ring. He gave DiNozzo a long look before answering it. "Yeah, Gibbs... Yeah, on our way Ducky." He hung up. "Maybe Ducky'll have some answers for us. You coming, or you gonna stay here with the kid?"

"I'll stay, if that's okay. Someone needs to be here in case he wakes up." DiNozzo watched as his boss headed towards the elevator. He sat on the floor next to his desk and gently stroked the child's hair. You poor little bugger, he thought sadly.

* * *

"Ah, Jethro, thank you for being so prompt." Ducky greeted his friend without looking up from his work.

"What've you got for me Duck?"

"Well, as far as Mrs Wilkerson goes, cause of death is a little hard to determine. There is evidence of blunt force trauma to her left temple, but that blow alone would not be enough to kill her. My guess is, she was knocked out to subdue her, then she bled out. I counted 35 cuts, varying in length and depth. If you'll look here -" he gestured to the body in front of him "- the murderer paid particularly close attention to her breasts and also to the reproductive region. This was personal."

"What about Kendall, Ducky?"

"Well, suicide is obvious, but I noticed some small legions over his body. I'd prefer not to speculate on those, rather I'll wait until I have a full blood analysis from Abby."

"You suspect something, though." It wasn't a question.

"Indeed Jethro, I am experiencing one of your 'gut feelings'. The young man lying on the table has an extremely elevated white cell count, along with severely swollen lymph nodes and several sores inside his mouth and throat. I believe, and further testing will verify this, that our murderer was HIV positive."

_Meanwhile, back upstairs..._

"Tony, you seen Gibbs?" McGee came bustling out of the elevator looking harassed.

"Yeah, he's in Autopsy. And speak quietly! I don't want this little guy to wake up," hissed DiNozzo.

McGee stopped at his desk, slightly bemused. "Aww, Daddy DiNozzo! Never thought I'd see the day."

"Shut up Probie."

"Well, I have news. Big news. Where's Ziva?"

"She said something about clothes for Zeke, and food for us. Do we need to wait for her?"

"Wait for me for what?" Ziva asked, a sports bag slung over her shoulder. "Here, Tony, here's a few of his things and his teddy."

DiNozzo carefully slid the teddy bear under Zeke's arm, smiling to himself when the little boy snuggled up to it. "McGoo has news, apparently. Big news, too."

"Well, it's not _good_ big news, I mean it's kind of good for us, but it's pretty messed up at the same time," McGee blathered as he started opening files on his computer.

"Well spit it out McGee," growled Gibbs, striding into the bullpen.

"I've been through Mrs Wilkerson's laptop – it wasn't hard, there's practically no security. She tried to delete her files as she used them but didn't do it properly, so pretty much anyone could have gotten it." McGee pointed the remote at the plasma and started bringing documents up. "Kendall was one of her customers."

"Customers? I do not understand," said Ziva.

"This is where it gets messed up. Alison Wilkerson was – well, I guess you'd call her a pimp."

"A pimp? Who exactly was she pimping out?" asked DiNozzo. Then the penny dropped. He immediately lost all colour in his face, and only just managed to stop himself from throwing up. "She was selling Zeke?" he whispered, horrified.

McGee nodded grimly. "From what I can see, she's been doing it for at least 18 months now, but only whenever her husband is away."


	4. Chapter 4

**Here 'tis: Chapter 4. Thank you all so so much for your kind words, it has really made my day! The story is only going to get darker from this point so bring your torches and your tissues. Just in case. **

DiNozzo barely heard the rest of what McGee was saying; he got to his feet and stumbled blindly to the men's room. There was a tight pain in his chest that he couldn't identify. He turned the cold tap on full blast and splashed water over his face. The urge to vomit became irresistible and he dashed towards the nearest stall, heaving and retching. When there was little more than acid and bile to lose, he sat back against the wall, head in his hands. He heard the men's room door open and heavy footsteps on the tiles. Gibbs. "Why, Boss? Why would someone do that to their own kid?" he asked pitifully.

Gibbs sat down next to his protégé. "I don't know, Tony. But we can't focus on that part now, your priority has to be Zeke. He'll need to be checked out at the hospital – the sooner the better," he said softly.

DiNozzo exhaled heavily, and ground his fists into his eyes. "Any luck getting onto his dad?"

"Vance has just arrived, I'm on my way to brief him then we'll try and get onto him in MTAC." Tony nodded, knowing that it would still be at least 24 hours before the Commander would arrive back in DC. Gibbs hesitated, and then said, "Tony there's more."

"Do I want to hear it?"

"Probably not, but you need to. Kendall is – was – HIV positive."

The retching started again and once more DiNozzo leaned his head over the toilet bowl. He felt a strong hand on his back, but couldn't take comfort from it. "Thank Christ the bitch is dead or I would've made her life hell," he choked out between heaves.

"You and me both Tony," said Gibbs sadly. He stood up, and held his hand out to DiNozzo, helping him up. "Come on, we got work to do."

* * *

Arriving at work at 5:30 on a Sunday morning was never a pleasant feeling for Vance. It was even harder with one Leroy Jethro Gibbs, steam coming out of his ears and not quite caffeinated, waiting outside the office. "Good morning Jethro."

"Nothing good about it Leon," replied Gibbs shortly.

"What's the story?"

Gibbs started from the beginning, barely managing to keep a lid on his emotions. After all, the woman responsible was dead – it wouldn't do anyone any good for him to lose his cool at this point in the game. As the story continued, Vance's expression grew stony. When Gibbs mentioned the likelihood of Kendall being HIV positive, he cursed loudly. "Where's the child now?" he asked Gibbs.

"Downstairs with DiNozzo, I think he just woke up."

"You left a kid in DiNozzo's care?" Vance asked incredulously.

Gibbs managed a grin at that. "Don't ask me how or why, but Tony's the man of the moment. Young Zeke has taken quite a shine to him."

Vance shook his head in surprise, a small smile emerging at the thought of Anthony DiNozzo playing babysitter. "He can't stay here, you know that."

"Funnily enough Leon, I realised that part myself," replied Gibbs. "But his Dad's hundreds of miles away, and there's no family in the area. Any thoughts?"

"I'll call Jackie, tell her to come by. She can look after him." Gibbs nodded in agreement. "So what's the next steps here Gibbs?"

"We need to contact the _Reagan_ and get Lt. Commander Wilkerson back here ASAP. McGee's going through the wife's computer trying to find if there are more players in this sick game, but it's going to take time."

Vance nodded. "You'll need to call Metro Special Victims, read them in on this. If there's more sick freaks like Kendall involved they need to know."

"I don't think that's such a great idea Leon."

"This is not a federal matter Jethro, Special Victims are best equipped to deal with rape and abuse cases."

"Normally I'd agree with you, but these are hardly ordinary circumstances. We've got the dead wife of a Naval Commander who's been selling her son to God only knows who! They only moved here 6 months ago, before that they were in San Diego. There are documents indicating that this has been going on for over a year. That means there's perps out that way, which makes it federal. They've always lived on Base, which means the odds of there being other Naval personnel involved are huge!"

Vance stewed on this for a minute. "Okay, here's how we do it. Your team can take the case on one condition – the FBI gets involved. Interstate criminals fall under their jurisdiction."

Gibbs wasn't too happy about having to get the FBI involved. If he had his way, he'd find all the bastards who'd hurt this sweet boy and make them wish they'd never been born. Still, he'd get Fornell assigned to the case. At least he'd understand. "We need to take Zeke to the hospital, the sooner the better. He needs a full examination."

Vance nodded at this. "Take him to Bethesda. I'll get hold of his father."

* * *

Gibbs paused halfway down the stairs to look over the bullpen. McGee was working feverishly at his computer, fingers flying at warp speed over the keyboard. Ziva was standing in front of the plasma, studying financial documents, making notes on any patterns she saw. He smiled when he saw DiNozzo though. He had Zeke on his lap and they were watching a DVD on his computer. For someone who's normally so uncomfortable around kids, he seemed... happy. Well, maybe not happy, thought Gibbs, but definitely content. He finished the stairs and walked around the corner. "DiNozzo," he said.

Tony looked up at him and understood that they needed to talk. "Hey buddy, I just gotta talk to Gibbs for a minute, okay? You keep watching, I'll be back in a minute." With that, he swung Zeke off his lap and onto the chair before gently ruffling his hair. He walked over to the windows where Gibbs was standing. "What's the go Boss? What'd Vance say?"

"He's getting a sat-link with the _Reagan_ to get Wilkerson home, and he's also getting Jackie to come in and pick Zeke up. I know," he said, holding a hand up to Tony's protests, "but it's the best thing. We've got work to do and we can't do that with Zeke hanging around, it'll just scare him." DiNozzo nodded glumly. "Anyway, the case might get taken off us – Vance is calling in Fornell. In the meantime, we've got to get this little guy checked out by a doctor."

"I'll take him," volunteered DiNozzo.

A small smile formed on Gibbs' lips. "Yeah, I figured as much. Take Ziva with you, try and get him to talk to you about what happened."

"On it."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5. I know some of you aren't happy with Mrs Vance coming in to play, but let's be realistic – a kid couldn't really hang out at NCIS. Anyways, be patient – there's plenty more of 'Nice Tony' coming up, I promise. Thanks for the kind words, I know it's not exactly a pleasant story, but your reviews make me so happy! xo**

Zeke said very little in the car on the way to Bethesda, but his eyes grew huge and frightened as they pulled up. DiNozzo got out of the car and opened the rear door for Zeke, who promptly began shaking his head. "No, Tony, no!" he cried, throwing himself into the Agent's arms.

Tony picked him up and held him close, patting his back and making shushing sounds. "Hey little guy, it's okay, it's just the hospital." Zeke buried his face in Tony's neck; his whole body was trembling. Tony walked over to a bench outside the hospital entry and sat down, Zeke on his lap once more. "Zeke," he said, gently turning the child's face towards his own, "look at me buddy. I don't like hospitals either – in fact, I hate them!" He pulled a face, trying to get a slightly more positive reaction out of his charge. Nothing. "I hate to do this to you Zeke, but it really is important. So we won't go inside just yet, but you, me and Ziva are gonna sit out here and have a little talk okay?"

Zeke looked at Tony, big eyes searching once more for reassurance. Tony's arms were still around him, and he gave a little squeeze. Zeke nodded, but still looked terrified.

Ziva sat down next to the two boys and placed a hand on Zeke's leg. She got her phone out and pulled up an image. "Zeke, if it's okay I'd like to show you a photo of the man who hurt your mother. Can you tell me if you've seen him before?" She showed him the photo. He squirmed in Tony's arms and shook his head vigorously. "Are you sure? Sweet boy, he cannot hurt you anymore, this is a promise," she soothed.

Zeke looked up at Tony, then back at Ziva. His eyes filled with tears as he nodded. "He would come over and... he called it his special game." His anguished voice brought tears to Ziva's eyes.

"Has anyone else done this to you?" she asked gently.

He nodded once more. "But Momma said not to tell Daddy, that it was a secret."

DiNozzo felt like vomiting again, but forced it back down. Instead, he concentrated on the little boy on his lap, stroking his hair and providing whatever comfort he could. "You've done good, Zeke. And I promise you that _no one_ will ever hurt you like that again." He stood up, still holding Zeke, and with Ziva they walked into the hospital.

* * *

Watching this brave little boy go through the indignity of a rape examination and blood tests was almost too much for DiNozzo to bear, but for Zeke's sake he kept up a stream of happy mindless chatter. He did impressions and told knock-knock jokes to keep the kid's spirits up but the most he got out of him was a soft giggle. He was almost grateful when Zeke fell asleep on the gurney. Within the hour, the doctor returned to the exam room and asked to speak to Ziva and himself.

"Well, unfortunately for Zeke, there are signs of prolonged sexual assault – a large amount of scarring around the anus and rectal region. There are also some recent abrasions – possibly as recently as three to four days ago – and some bruising that is fading. His medical records indicate there have been a few broken bones, the most recent being only a few months ago. He got the cast off his arm 3 weeks ago. Mother said he fell down the stairs." Dr Goldman shook his head bitterly.

"What about... um... diseases? I mean, is he sick at all?" asked Tony worriedly.

"I'm sorry, Agent DiNozzo. Zeke is HIV positive."

* * *

Tony didn't remember carrying the barely awake Zeke out to the car. He didn't remember driving back to the Navy Yard, or going back up to the bullpen, or reporting back to Gibbs. What he would _never_ forget is the blood-curdling scream Zeke let out on seeing the picture of one of his attackers blown up on the plasma. Without thinking, he scooped the hysterical child into his arms and ran to the nearest conference room. 'Dammit McGee, your timing could not have been more off!' he thought angrily. He sat down and rocked back and forth singing softly. Zeke's terrified cries died down to muffled sobs and whimpers as he clutched to Tony as one would a life preserver. The door opened and then closed quietly, as Jackie Vance and Gibbs walked in.

"How's he doing?" asked Gibbs. DiNozzo just looked at him. "Point taken."

DiNozzo spun his chair around so that he was facing Jackie. He hadn't spent a lot of time with her, but knew that she was a good egg. A good egg with two kids at home, he mused. At least Zeke'll have someone to play with to keep his mind off...things. Jackie looked questioningly at him; he nodded his assent.

"Hi Zeke? My name's Jackie, I'm Tony's friend." She spoke softly, placing a practised – a _mother's_ – hand on his head. Zeke didn't look up, but he didn't flinch at the contact. "I bet you're feeling pretty tired and maybe even a little hungry huh? You've had a big day so far, and it's not even lunchtime!" Though it hurt to do so, she forced a smile into her voice. "Why don't you come home with me and we can hang out? You can play with my two kids, they're about your age."

Zeke finally pulled away from Tony's chest and looked at her. "Can we have pancakes? My Mommy always makes pancakes on Sundays."

Jackie chuckled. "You bet we can, maybe even with some ice cream on them!"

His lower lip quivered once more. "Can Tony come too?"

Gibbs lowered himself to Zeke's height. "I need Tony to stay here with me so we can keep working. But Jackie's a real nice lady, and she's an even better cook!" He winked and smiled at him.

Zeke pondered over this for a minute, before looking back at Tony. "Will you come and visit me?" he asked shyly.

Tony grinned, a smile that he did not feel. "Just try and stop me champ."

Seemingly satisfied with this, he slid off DiNozzo's lap and, taking Jackie's hand, walked out of the room.

DiNozzo waited until the door closed behind them before letting out a sigh. "Boss, how do you explain to a child that his mother effectively signed his death warrant?"

"_You_ don't. You let his father do that." Gibbs voice was stern, but his eyes were kind.

"Speaking of which, have we found him?"

"Vance has made contact. He'll be arriving at Little Creek tomorrow at 0730. We're picking him up."

DiNozzo nodded, and rubbed his face with his hands. "Any hits on other perps?"

Gibbs couldn't help but marvel at the tenacity of his Senior Field Agent. "McGee has managed to track them all – he's handed the civilians to Fornell, and we're taking the Naval. There's 5 other men in total. Fortunately – or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it – one of them is already in prison."

"Well, you know what they say about small mercies," Tony cracked, though his heart wasn't in it. Gibbs smirked, acknowledging the effort DiNozzo was making to return to normal behaviour. "The two assholes who have the nerve to call themselves Naval personnel – where are they?"

"One's in Afghanistan, the other's in Norfolk. Wanna do the pick up?"

DiNozzo's jaw dropped. "Boss, are you serious? You don't honestly think I could see that prick and not shoot him on sight?"

"Face the temptation Tony – and we'll see what happens." The smile on Gibbs' face was almost evil.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 – once again, thank you for your reviews! They mean so much to me. Oh, and PS: if my driving times seem a little off, it's because I'm Australian, and we don't use miles. I think I got the conversions right, but just in case... **

193 miles. That's how far it was from the Navy Yard to Norfolk Naval Base. In normal circumstances it was about a three hour drive, but these were far from normal circumstances. Armed with a warrant, and a barely controlled fury, Gibbs drove while DiNozzo seethed. Not a single smart-ass comment slipped from his lips about Gibbs' driving – a sure indication of his frame of mind. Gibbs wasn't concerned though; he knew the signs to watch for, knew when to rein Tony in.

The two agents made the trip in record time, pulling up outside the house of one Major Donald Pearce just under two and a half hours after leaving DC. Gibbs shot a look at DiNozzo, who's expression was unreadable. "You okay?" DiNozzo merely jerked his head. "Let's do it."

The two agents walked up the garden path. The house had an eerily suburban feel to it – they could hear children's voices in the back yard shrieking with laughter. The thought that this monster had children of his own made Tony's stomach clench once more, but he focussed on the job at hand. With a slightly shaking hand, he reached out and pressed the doorbell.

An atractive young woman answered the door with a baby on her hip. "Can I help you?"

The two agents flipped their ID's open for her to see. "I'm Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, this is Special Agent Gibbs – NCIS. We'd like to speak with Major Pearce."

She started as the two imposing agents began to walk into the house. "He's out in the yard with the kids. What's this about?" she asked, starting to panic. "Has something happened?" DiNozzo and Gibbs ignored her as they walked through the house to the back verandah. "Please, you have to tell me."

Gibbs turned on her quickly. "Ma'am, this is a federal investigation and your husband has information we require. I suggest you call your children inside the house. Do not let them see this," he hissed.

Mrs Pearce paled at the older man's words, but did as he requested. The Major looked up as she called them in, completely nonplussed. "MJ, what's going on? Who are these guys?"

"NCIS Don," she replied. "They need to speak with you." With that, she hustled the two little ones inside and shut the door.

"Well, gentlemen? What can I do for NCIS on this gorgeous day?" he flashed what he believed to be a winning smile. It was wiped off quickly as DiNozzo grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back.

"Guess what _Don_ – we've just become your worst nightmare. Now you are going to come with us, and cooperate completely, or your wife will find out exactly the kind of gutter-trash scum she's married to. How's that sound?" DiNozzo growled, applying more pressure on his hold.

"What, what? I didn't do anything wrong, I swear!" he cried, sweat quickly forming on his forehead.

"The name Alison Wilkerson mean anything to you? It should, seeing as you paid her to let you fuck. Her. Son. You god-damn motherfucker, you should be thanking your lucky stars I don't just blow your brains out right now!"

At the mention of Alison, Pearce began to tremble, now thoroughly panicking. "It's not like that, I swear! It's... it's..." He squirmed, trying to pull away, only stopping when he saw the gun Gibbs had pointed at his head. He let out a low moan, starting to sob.

"You ruined that child's life, Don. Now we get to fuck with yours," Gibbs spoke pleasantly enough, but there was steel in his eyes as he kept his finger on the trigger. "Now, we're going to go inside, collect your computer and go back to DC. _You_ can start thinking of ways to avoid getting ass-raped in Leavenworth – I hear freaks like you are popular playthings."

DiNozzo manipulated Pearce's arm once more, before cuffing him. "Let's go."

* * *

The ride back to DC was relatively uneventful, apart from Gibbs pulling the car over to threaten Pearce once more. The man had snivelled and cried and pleaded his innocence until he found himself once more with a gun to his head. Then he kept it to himself.

When they arrived at the Yard, Ziva was waiting to meet them. "Is this the pig?" she asked.

Gibbs nodded. "Take him up to Interrogation for me, will ya?"

"With pleasure," she replied with a feral smile. Pearce paled once more.

Gibbs turned to DiNozzo, who was leaning against the car. "You wanna take the interrogation?"

DiNozzo looked at him with bleak eyes. "Boss... it was so damn tempting back there, just to shoot him. Hell, break all his bones _then_ kill him. But he's got kids. I... I couldn't do it," he said softly.

"It's because you're a good man, Tony. He deserves to be punished, and severely. You chose the right path." Gibbs clapped a hand on his shoulder. "We'll handle it. Take a couple of hours off."

DiNozzo drove aimlessly for a while, trying to get a hold of his emotions. Why is this kid getting to me, he thought. We've seen child abuse cases before, why'd I never react like this then? Maybe I'm getting old. Or soft. Or clucky. He snorted at the last thought. Reproduction was low down on the list of things to do, at least at this point in time. Stuff it, he thought, yanking the wheel of his car around. I'm gonna go see the kid.

* * *

DiNozzo had been to the Vance house a few times, but never actually inside. He was a little nervous as he knocked on the door, not quite sure how he would be received. All doubts vanished though, when Jackie answered the door with a warm smile. "I wondered how long it'd take you to get here," she laughed.

Tony smiled at her. "Couldn't help myself. I had to see if there were any of those pancakes left!"

"No pancakes, but fresh coffee and some biscuits. Will that do?" She took his coat as he walked inside.

"Where's Zeke?" he asked, trying not to show his concern.

Jackie smirked knowingly. "Watching 'Shrek' with Amy and James. He's fine, Tony, I promise."

"Has he said anything?"

Her smile faded a little. "He says his pleases, and thank you's, and excuse me's, and that's about it. A few little laughs here and there but not much else. He and James are getting on like a house on fire though, so that must count for something." DiNozzo nodded. She busied herself in the kitchen for a few minutes, pouring coffee and wrestling with the lid on the biscuit tin, before sitting down at the kitchen table with him. "Look Tony, I know how it is. I've been married to an NCIS agent for 15 years, so I know there's things you can and can't tell me. Be as honest with me as you can though – were you able to find anyone else who hurt this kid?"

DiNozzo drank deeply from his coffee cup, more to buy some time than anything else. Jackie continued to watch him like a hawk. Finally, he took a deep breath. "There's evidence linking at least 5 other men to Zeke and his mother." Jackie closed her eyes. "Three of them civilian – the FBI has those details now. Two more were Naval. One's in Interrogation now with Gibbs. The other – well, we're not sure what's going to happen with him. He's overseas."

Jackie grasped Tony's free hand in both of hers and squeezed tightly. "I know you are a good man Tony. Don't let them get away with this," she said hoarsely.

"It's a promise."

The pitter-patter of children's feet interrupted the moment, for which Tony was grateful. A small voice called out excitedly, "Tony! You came!"

"You bet I did pal, I told you I would! How's it going here?" he swung Zeke up onto his lap, and gave him a hug.

"Did you find my Daddy?" he asked.

"We did, and he's on his way home. He said to say he misses you, and he can't wait to see you." That was stretching the truth almost to breaking point, but a little white lie once in a while never hurt. It seemed to do the trick too, because Zeke's eyes brightened a little at the mention of his beloved father. "Now, are you playing nicely with Amy and James?"

Amy Vance hovered over Zeke almost maternally – she was, after all, a whole two years and three months older than him, her Mom had told her that it was her job to look after him! "We've played with the Lego, and on the trampoline, and then we watched a DVD."

Tony gave the young girl an approving look, which made her blush. "I'm glad to see you're taking such good care of him Miss Vance."

James piped in, eager for his part to be acknowledged. "I let him play with my Bumble Bee Transformer Tony, even though I just got it!" Tony rewarded him with a huge grin, which was reciprocated.

"Okay team, enough's enough! Let Tony and I have some quiet time okay? Go on, get out and play some more," Jackie scolded gently.

"Okay Mom. C'mon Zeke, let's play tag!" Amy pulled on Zeke's hand, urging him to go. He shot a quick look at Tony, saw that it was okay and jumped down, chasing after the other two.

"He really likes you," Jackie commented.

DiNozzo shot her a look, but quickly saw she meant no malice. He relaxed a little. "Yeah. He's a good kid."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters Tony?"

"Nope, it's just me. One child was enough for my folks – great prop for photo opportunities, easy enough to palm off to a nanny." DiNozzo didn't quite know what made him say it. "My mom died when I was 8. At 12, I was sent to military school."

Jackie was shocked. "Your father sent you away?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, but it's okay. I went home on holidays, had vacations with the old man and whichever wife he was up to, that sort of thing. It's no big deal. I was never abused," he added, a touch defensively.

Jackie touched his hand once more. "Not in the sense that Zeke was. Neglect is still abuse Tony, there's no excuse for it."

He was a little taken aback at her words, but again realised that the woman meant no harm. She was genuinely interested, and concerned to boot. Quickly coming to his senses, he gave his thousand-watt smile. "No harm, no foul, Jackie. I got lucky. A few beltings here and there, mostly when Father was drinking. I just made sure to stay faster than him most of the time. Anyway, it doesn't matter anymore. We have a civil relationship – he stays in Long Island, I stay here. Simple." The look Jackie gave him told him plainly that she didn't believe him, but thankfully dropped the subject. "I'd better get back to the office," he said, getting to his feet. "Thanks for the coffee."

"Anytime Tony, and I mean that. I know you and Leon don't always see eye to eye, but I have a lot of time for you." She stood up and kissed him on the cheek.

DiNozzo blushed slightly, and touched where her lips had just rested. "I'll come and pick Zeke up later this afternoon. He's staying with me tonight."

She nodded, and followed him out to his car. "You're a good man, Anthony DiNozzo. It's about time you remembered that."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 – thanks again for your kind words! They're almost better than coffee first thing in the morning. Thanks also to Tintin11 and merrygal for correcting me. Adjustments in the previous chapter have been made. **

While DiNozzo was at the Vance house, the rest of his team were hell-bent on making Donald Pearce sweat. He sat in the Interrogation room, cuffed to the table. Ziva sat opposite him, feet up on the table, idly sharpening her knife. Every now and then she would pick up a piece of paper and slice through it – just to test it. Each time the steel ran over the edge of the blade, Pearce would twitch just a little more. "Do not worry, Major Pearce," she purred. "I do not like killing with this knife. I prefer a sharpened bicycle spoke. You file it to a fine point – finer than a seamstress's needle. Then when the victim least expects it you slip into the back of his neck, between the second and third vertebrae. This severs the spinal cord, killing instantly. No blood, no mess and it is over in seconds." Pearce went even whiter.

Gibbs walked into the room, and jerked his head to Ziva, indicating that she should leave. She stood up, slid her knife back into its holster and smiled evilly at Pearce. Gibbs sat down in her seat and placed a file on the table in front of him.

"Shouldn't I have a lawyer or something?" Pearce suddenly asked, in a flash of bravado.

Gibbs didn't say anything, just kept leafing through the file in front of him. "Major Donald Frederick Pearce, 42. Been career Navy now for... 23 years," he read aloud. "Promoted to head of Supply last year at Norfolk. Divorced 6 years ago, remarried _this_ year. Three children, eldest is 11 and the youngest is 7 months." Gibbs closed the file, folded his hands on the table in front of him and stared at Pearce. His gaze was unreadable, and Pearce started squirming. "Now why would a career man risk everything he has to pay for sex?"

"You gotta understand Agent Gibbs, it's not what you think," he pleaded.

Gibbs slammed his hand down on the desk. "Bullshit!" he roared. Pearce jumped. "You paid for sex. Not only that, you paid to have sex with a child. He was 4 when you fucked him, did you know that? Huh? Did you?" He lowered his voice to an almost sinister tone. "Did you infect him?"

"Huh... what? What are you talking about?"

Gibbs turned to the glass wall behind him. "Ducky, can you come in here please?" Ducky walked into the Interrogation Room a moment later, armed with a syringe and rubber gloves. "Dr Mallard here is going to take some blood for testing, to see if you gave him HIV. If that test comes back positive you're going away, not only for the rape of a child, but murder. How do you like that?"

Ducky rolled up Pearce's sleeve and began the procedure. By now, Pearce was thoroughly panicked. "I didn't give it to him, I swear. I didn't even know he was sick, Alison told me he was clean! I swear, I'm telling the truth Agent Gibbs, I would never _ever_ do that to a kid."

Gibbs glared at him. He shrank back in his chair, visibly cowed. "When will we have the results Dr Mallard?"

"Within the hour, Agent Gibbs. Abigail will process this immediately." Ducky stood up and peeled his gloves off, staring at Pearce with pure hatred in his eyes.

"Good. We'll continue this later, Pearce. Meantime, you can try and think of how you're gonna explain this to your wife." Gibbs stood up and followed Ducky out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Ziva walked out of the observation room to follow Gibbs. The two walked back down to the bullpen silently, each lost in their own thoughts. Gibbs stopped in front of McGee's desk. "You got anything off Pearce's computer?" he asked.

"More kiddy porn than you could ever want to imagine. Emails tying him to Alison Wilkerson, financial records – the works. He wasn't too careful about it either, a lot of it was hidden in plain sight. Even without his confession, he's going away for a long long time." McGee looked slightly green.

"McGee – are you okay?" asked Ziva, concerned about her friend.

"Not really, this stuff makes me sick. I've vomited a few times," he confessed. "I will never understand why this happens, not in a million years."

Gibbs didn't say anything, just sat down at his own desk. "Any word on the guy in Afghanistan?"

"Vance got onto his CO, having him sent back here. He's currently on patrol in the middle of nowhere so it'll be a few days yet Boss."

Gibbs nodded. "Copy what you need to tie Pearce to Wilkerson, then send the rest to the FBI. Fornell can take it." He suddenly felt old, and very tired.

The elevator dinged and DiNozzo walked out the doors and into the bullpen. Gibbs noticed he looked much more relaxed than he did earlier in the day, but decided not to comment. "What's going on, Boss? Did Pearce crack?"

"Well, I think sitting in Interrogation with Ziva for almost an hour took a few years off his life. He's busted. McGee's gone through his computer; we've got everything we need. Just waiting on the results of the blood works before laying charges."

"Tony, how is Zeke?" asked Ziva.

DiNozzo smiled. "He's okay. Jackie and the kids are taking good care of him. I'll pick him up later this afternoon, take him home with me for the night."

"Are you sure that is wise?" she pressed. Gibbs shot her a look but she missed it.

"Yeah Zee-vah, I'm sure, otherwise I wouldn't be doing it. Where's he gonna stay, with McGoo over there? Please," shot back DiNozzo. Who does she think she is, he thought angrily, I can take care of him! I'm not a complete idiot.

Too late, Ziva realised she'd insulted her friend. "Do not misunderstand me, Tony, I just meant that maybe he should stay with Jackie. After all, she is better equipped for a children's sleepover, yes?"

"He'll be fine David, I'll take care of everything," he replied shortly. "In fact, I just came in to collect his things. Boss, I'm taking the rest of the afternoon. Call if you need me." Without giving Gibbs a chance to respond, he picked up his backpack and Zeke's sports bag, turned on his heel and left.

Gibbs gave Ziva a dirty look, who responded in turn with a defensive expression on her face. Before he was able to chew her out, his phone rang. "Yeah, Gibbs," he growled.

"_Jethro, it's me."_

"Tobias, you better have some good news for me, or I swear I'm gonna hang up."

"_Depends on your definition of good news Jethro. I've just interviewed Martin Tunes – he's the one that's already in lockup – he admitted to paying Alison Wilkerson for the, and I quote, 'privilege of knowing her son'. _

Gibbs closed his eyes. "Anything else?"

"_Gone through his medical records, it's probable that he infected young Zeke with HIV. He's just about in the final stages of the virus development from what the prison doctor has told me, so he'll probably be dead before the year is out."_

"Thank God for small mercies." Gibbs echoed Tony's earlier thoughts.

"_Well, yeah in some ways. How's it going on your end?"_

"Slowly but surely. McGee's leaving shortly headed your way, he's got some presents for you."

"_Something tell's me it's not gonna be what I asked Santa for this year. Ours not to reason why, Jethro."_

Gibbs smiled bitterly. "Ours but to do or die." With that he hung up the phone.

Once again, DiNozzo found himself driving aimlessly. Ziva's words had infuriated him, but the sting was slowly fading. He knew she was just trying to be practical, and it wasn't as if he'd ever given her reason to believe that he _could_ care for a kid. As he drove, he found himself in the vicinity of the mall. Grinning, he pulled into the parking lot. He might not have the most experience with kids, but he knew what they liked. He jumped out of the car and headed straight for Toys R Us.

30 minutes – and $180 – later, he left the mall and headed for his apartment. He might only have the kid for one night but he intended to make it an enjoyable one. Armed with some new kids' movies, a Batman blanket and some toys and books, he quickly made his living room a little more kid-friendly. Dashing around to make sure there were no inappropriate magazines or dvd's lying around, he surveyed his work proudly. He even had enough pillows and cushions to make a fort – something he did on occasion, though he'd never admit it to his co-workers. He checked the pantry to make sure there was enough Cap'n Crunch for the two of them – there was – and checked the freezer for ice cream. Takeaway would have to do for dinner, he decided. With one final glance around the apartment, he grabbed his keys and left.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 – onwards, loyal followers!

It was close to 5pm by the time DiNozzo pulled up outside the Vance house. He noted the Director's car parked in the driveway, and cringed a little inside. He was definitely not Leon Vance's favourite person at the best of times – he wasn't sure exactly how he'd be received at the man's house! Pfft, he thought, what's he gonna do? Gibbs already okay'd the arrangements, he'll just have to suck it up. Squaring his shoulders, he walked up to the front door and rapped sharply.

"Just a minute!" he heard a voice call out, followed by heavy, slow footsteps and the unmistakeable sound of children's laughter. The door flew open, and Tony couldn't help himself – he burst out laughing at the sight that greeted him. Director Leon Vance was carrying Zeke piggyback, and had James and Amy wrapped around each leg. A feather boa around his neck and a tiara on his head completed the image. Tony whipped his phone out, ready to photograph the evidence, only stopping when Vance evil-eyed him. "Anyone finds out about this DiNozzo, there'll be no coming back from Agent Afloat, is that clear?" The voice was gruff, but there was a good-natured sparkle in his eye.

"Oh, Scout's honour, Director – I won't tell a soul," he sniggered.

"Come on in, DiNozzo," Vance lowered Zeke to the ground and untangled his two children from around his legs. Zeke rushed at Tony excitedly who picked him up and boosted him high into the air. He let out a squeal of delight, which warmed Tony's heart no end. Vance smiled to himself. Wonders will never cease, he mused. Out aloud he said, "Jackie's in the kitchen getting dinner ready. I believe you know the way?" Without waiting for a response, he turned and began chasing his children once more. Tony set Zeke on the floor once more, who promptly followed the little family.

DiNozzo made his way into the kitchen. "I never thought I'd see the day," he said to Jackie.

"What's that hun?" she asked absently.

"Leon Vance in a feather boa. I mean, if I hadn't seen it I'd never have believed it!" he laughed.

Jackie joined in the laughter. "You probably don't believe me Tony, but he can be quite the rat-bag. The kids bring out the best in him. He got home half an hour ago and they attacked him the second he walked in the door."

"Well as I said, it has to be seen to be believed. How's the afternoon gone?" He sat at the kitchen bench and helped himself to some of the carrot she was chopping.

"Oh, just fine, hun – get _out_ of it! - the kids have played really well together. I've never seen Amy so protective, she's normally too cool to play with the little kids." Jackie slapped his hand as he reached out to pick at more vegetables. "Zeke had a little teary at one stage in the afternoon, I think they were watching'Bambi' – not the smartest choice in hindsight! Still, a bit of a cuddle and he was fine again. He's a tough little cookie."

Tony nodded, and swallowed the last of his snack. "It never ceases to amaze me Jackie. Kids like him go to hell and back time and time again, and they hardly ever break – just keep bouncing back. Not like us grown-ups; one hellish experience and most of us go to pieces," he said thoughtfully. "If only some gentle words and a hug once in a while could fix everything."

Jackie looked at the Agent in front of her. From what Leon had told her, he fancied himself as a bit of a playboy, but each time she had met him she had some serious doubts about that. He was a good actor, she thought, he just needs a little kindness. A little bit of TLC now and then would do him the world of good. Her mind made up, she resumed her dinner preparations, resolving to fuss at him as much as he would allow. "So what have you got planned for tonight?"

"Oh, not much. I picked up a few dvd's, we'll probably just grab a pizza and hang out at home. Don't look at me like that," he protested at Jackie's horrified expression, "there is absolutely_ nothing _wrong with Mama Capponi's pizza! Besides, I've been up since 2am – I couldn't cook a meal even if I tried."

"Why don't you stay for dinner?"

He smiled, touched by her offer. "Thanks but no thanks Jackie, I think I'll just get the kid home and settled there. He's had a pretty big day."

Jackie eyed him thoughtfully, but didn't push the issue further. "When does his dad get back?"

"Tomorrow morning. Gibbs is going to pick him up." He glanced at his watch. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I think it's time we got out of your hair. Thank you so much for everything, you're an absolute lifesaver." He walked around to her side of the bench and planted a kiss on her cheek. She responded by throwing her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Just look after him Tony, that's all the thanks I need," she whispered, her voice cracking.

DiNozzo didn't trust himself to speak at that moment, rather he nodded silently. He allowed himself to be held for a moment longer, then pulled away, blinking furiously. He would _not_ let the kid see him get upset. Waving at Jackie, he walked out of the kitchen in search of his charge.

* * *

Zeke seemed to get shy again as they drove back to DiNozzo's apartment. Tony kept glancing over at him to make sure he was okay, but it was hard to do that and drive at the same time. They finally arrived, and DiNozzo parked in his usual space. "C'mon Zeke, wait 'til you see what I've got upstairs for you!" he said with more enthusiasm than he felt. Something was not quite right with the kid; his gut was screaming at him.

Grateful that the lift was working (for a change), the two rode up to his floor in silence, Zeke holding Tony's hand. His whole demeanour had changed; while he hadn't exactly been a happy chattering kid all day (surprise, surprise) he had been quite relaxed back at the Vance house. Now, he was nervous, quiet and fidgety. Tony fished his keys out of his pocket and sang in an overly-cheerful voice, "we're ho-ome!" Zeke merely followed him inside and stood in the middle of the living room, clearly uneasy. Unsure what was wrong, and definitely unsure how to proceed, Tony made himself busy, checking his answering machine and cell for messages. "Just relax kiddo, make yourself at home. You want a drink?" he asked. Zeke shook his head no. Tony walked over to him, and knelt down in front of him. "Hey, Zeke what's wrong?" Zeke replied by closing his eyes tightly and biting his bottom lip. Tony placed a hand on his shoulder and was shocked when he flinched. A light went off in Tony's head, not a minute too soon.

"Zeke," he said softly, "open your eyes buddy. I need you to look at me." Clearly unwilling, he kept his eyes closed. "Okay, that's okay. Can you answer a question for me then?" A slight nod. Encouraged, Tony went on. "When these... men wanted to play with you, did you stay at your house or did you go to their house?"

"Their house," he whispered.

"And was there ever anyone else there with you, or just them?"

Zeke's response was barely audible. "J-just them."

Tony suddenly understood everything, all too clearly. "Zeke, I want you to open your eyes and look at me. Please, buddy. It's me, it's Tony – remember, I'm an NCIS Agent? I promised this morning that no one would ever be able to hurt you again, and that means me too." His voice grew hoarse; he barely kept his emotions in check. "I would never do anything to hurt you Zeke. Please, just open your eyes."

Hearing the brutal honesty in the older man's voice, Zeke slowly opened his eyes and looked at Tony. "You mean it?"

"I mean it," he replied solemnly, a rogue tear escaping his eye and making a path down his face.

Zeke reached out and touched Tony's cheek. And, for the first time since his Daddy had gone to sea, he felt truly safe.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9. Thanks again for the reviews, I love them so much I want to marry them. Or you. Whatever.**

Zeke loosened up considerably as the evening progressed, devouring two slices of Mama Capponi's finest, then a bowl of chocolate ice-cream with fudge sauce. DiNozzo encouraged him to treat the house as if it were his own, which he did with little hesitation. As the night got later, Zeke's eyes gave him away – they were drooping lower and lower with each blink. Tony suggested he go to bed, which was met with feeble protests, before finally giving in to the temptation of sleep halfway through the movie. DiNozzo picked him up carefully and tucked him into his own king-size bed – it wouldn't be the first time he'd slept on the couch, and it certainly wouldn't be the last either. Zeke let out a soft sigh as he turned over and cuddled under the blanket. "Sweet dreams big guy," said Tony softly, stroking his hair before depositing a soft kiss on the downy strands. He switched the overhead light off, and left the room, leaving the door open a crack. He didn't have a nightlight, so this would have to do.

Score one for the good guys, thought Tony triumphantly. He knew the night was a long way from being over, but for now he was proud of the job he'd done. He scooped himself another bowl of ice-cream and settled down to watch television. A gentle knock on the door disturbed him and mumbling obscenities to himself, he pulled himself off the couch to answer it. He was not at all surprised to see Gibbs in the doorway. "Come on in Boss," he gestured towards the messy living room. "Ice cream?"

Gibbs shook his head smiling. "I'll take coffee if you've got any on."

"Help yourself." Tony sat back down and turned the television off.

"So you've had a good night then?" Gibbs poured himself a cup of coffee, and joined DiNozzo on the couch.

"It's been good. Actually, all things considered, it's been great." Tony began to relay the early events of the evening. Gibbs just shook his head in disgust as the story unfolded, but he was proud of how Tony had handled such a potentially explosive situation, and told him so.

DiNozzo blushed slightly. "Ah, it's no biggie, Boss – just worked on instinct."

Gibbs would not be dissuaded. "You've been terrific with this kid Tony, you deserve every bit of it." He sensed there was something on his Agent's mind, but wouldn't press. Past experience told him that Tony would talk when he was ready.

Tony sat lost in thought for a few minutes, absently playing with his ice cream. "Jackie said something today that made me think. She said that neglect is still a form of child abuse. But it's not really is it?" He spooned some of the chocolate mush into his mouth. "I mean, if my parents abused me I'd know it, wouldn't I?"

"No one can answer that question Tony except you," Gibbs said gently. "What do you think?"

He thought for a minute. "I think," he started slowly, "that he just didn't know what to do with a kid. I mean, before Mom died he was okay – a hard-ass, but okay. But afterwards... I don't know, I think he was at a loss. He missed her a lot. Add that to the fact that I didn't want to go into the family business, I was a smart-ass, more interested in sports and girls than books... it was just easier if we stayed out of each other's way." Tears sprang up into his eyes, but he blinked them away. "He made sure I was clothed, and fed, and educated, but it just doesn't feel like it's enough, y'know?"

Gibbs put an arm around Tony's shoulders. "DiNozzo, let me tell you something. But if you ever repeat it to anyone, I'll deny it. You're strong, brave, smart and honourable. You know the difference between what is easy and what is right. There are not many men like you in the world. I'm proud to know you, and even more humbled to be considered your friend. Any man worth his salt would be honoured to be known as your father."

DiNozzo looked at his boss, his mentor, and smiled sadly. "Sometimes to have a father isn't enough, Boss – sometimes you need a Dad. But thanks for trying."

Gibbs cuffed him lightly on the back of the head. "On your six, Tony. Always."

* * *

DiNozzo woke before his alarm and stretched, yawning. The night had passed uneventfully – Zeke didn't cry out once, and DiNozzo had crashed straight after Gibbs left. There was a nervous churning in his stomach; Zeke was going with his father today. He shook his head, berating himself. There'd be time for emotions later, first he needed coffee and a shower. He poked his head in the door of his bedroom and grinned – Zeke had somehow managed to twist and pull all the sheets out of place and was currently laying sideways on the bed with a pillow under his feet. He went back to the kitchen, turned the coffee pot on and pulled out the fixings for breakfast, before heading for the shower.

Ten minutes later and he was showered, shaved and shampooed, ready to take on the world. His stomach was a twist of knots but he ignored them. He instead went back into his bedroom and gently shook Zeke to wake him up. "Wakey wakey little buddy," he called gently. Zeke's response was to snort and roll over. He choked back a laugh and tried again, this time with more success. Zeke opened his eyes sleepily and let out a huge yawn. "Up you hop tiger, we're gonna see your Daddy today!" That got a better reaction. Zeke sat up in bed and smiled, the biggest grin DiNozzo had seen him give.

"C'mon Tony, what are you waiting for? Let's go!" He scrambled out of bed excitedly.

"Hold your horses – breakfast first, then we go to NCIS. Gibbs will pick your dad up later this morning." DiNozzo couldn't help but chuckle at the pout that suddenly crossed the child's face. "Tell you what – eat all your cereal and we'll get donuts on the way to the office okay?"

* * *

Gibbs drove to Little Creek, arriving a little before 7:00 am. The Commander wasn't due in for another half an hour which gave him time to figure out exactly what he was going to say. The truth was the best, but which version would suit the circumstances? Gibbs was finding it hard to believe that a man who could rise through the ranks of the Navy at still a relatively young age wouldn't know if his own child was being abused. But then again, he thought, his wife was exceedingly careful. And if your job means that 6 to 8 months out of the year you were on a boat in the middle of the ocean, there's no way you can know what's going on at home. Gibbs pondered over this for a while as he drank deeply from his coffee cup. Best thing to do is just sound him out, he decided.

Half an hour later, Gibbs heard the tell-tale sounds of a transport chopper descending on the Base. He got out of the car and made his way to the landing pad, and watched as several men jumped out. He waited until the group of men got closer to the hangar before calling out, "Lt. Commander Cameron Wilkerson?"

"Yo!" a burly man called out, and walked towards Gibbs.

"Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS," he held his hand out and the Commander shook it warmly. "I need you to come with me."

"What's all the about Agent Gibbs? One minute we're on routine ops, the next my CO's telling me I'm being rotated State-side until further notice. Did you arrange this?" There was no anger in the man's voice, merely confusion. Gibbs was somewhat heartened by that. The two men walked towards the car.

Gibbs looked Wilkerson in the eye, and chose his words carefully. "Commander, there's no easy way to say this. I'm sorry to tell you that your wife was murdered on Sunday morning at approximately 0200."

Wilkerson wobbled on his feet but held on. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists. "What about Zeke? What about my boy?"

"He's fine," Gibbs said softly. "He's safe – a little shaken, but fine. My Senior Agent has him now, they'll meet us back at the Navy Yard. Come on," he opened the passenger door for the dazed Wilkerson, "let's get going."

The ride back to the Yard was mostly silent, except for a few sniffles from Wilkerson. Vance had suggested they use his office for the interview, and for once Gibbs agreed with him. He parked the car, and he and the Commander rode the elevator up to the Director's level. A quick glance over the railing at the bullpen showed that DiNozzo was not in yet, and Gibbs breathed a sigh of relief. He did not want to let father and son reunite until they were sure he was innocent.

The two men walked in to the Director's office. "Ah, Lt. Commander Wilkerson," said Vance, standing up. "My name is Leon Vance, I'm the Director of the Agency."

"With respect Director, I'd prefer to collect Zeke and just go home. Can't we do this later?" the pain in the man's voice was evident.

"I understand that this is hard Commander, and we don't want to make this any harder on you. But by the same token there are a few things that we need to discuss regarding your wife's death."

"Did you catch the guy who did it?"

"We did," said Gibbs. "Does the name Alex Kendall mean anything to you?"

Wilkerson frowned as he tried to place the name. "It's... familiar? Maybe? There was a guy on Base, I think his name was Alex, or Adam or something – he used to do odd jobs. A bit of a handyman. Civilian."

Vance blew a picture up on his plasma. "That the guy?"

Wilkerson studied the picture for a minute before nodding. "Wait. That's the guy that killed my wife? Son of a bitch!" he yelled. "Where is he? Dammit, tell me where he is so I can kill him myself!"

"You need to calm down, Commander." Vance's voice was stern.

Wilkerson slumped down in his chair again and began to sob. "Oh, my Ali... my poor, poor Ali..."

Gibbs shot a look at Vance, who nodded his agreement. "Commander, we have a few questions we need to ask you."

"About Alison?"

"Well, in a way. More about Zeke."

"I thought you said he was fine?"

"Commander... this is a difficult question to ask, but – are you aware that Zeke has been sexually abused in the past?"

Wilkerson's head shot up and his eyes flew between the two other men. "What? Some...one... touched... ohhhhh..." He turned deathly white and for a minute Vance was worried that he would vomit. He hurriedly placed his bin in front of the Commander as a precautionary measure.

Gibbs stood behind Wilkerson and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Breathe, Cameron, just breathe... that's it... put your head between your knees and breathe deeply." Wilkerson blindly followed Gibbs instructions and eventually sat up again, the colour back in his face.

"I don't believe it," he kept saying, "I just don't believe it." He gave Gibbs a pleading look. "He's okay but, isn't he? Please tell me he's okay! Do you know who it was? You've gotta tell me Agent Gibbs, please!"

Gibbs looked at Vance who took that as his cue to continue the interview. "Commander – Cameron – there is evidence to suggest that your wife was receiving money in return for Zeke."

Wilkerson vomited for real this time, his body shaking with sobs and heaves.

Vance pressed on, needing to hear the words from the man himself. "Cameron, were you at all aware that this was going on? We need to know. And -" he drew in a deep breath to ready himself for this next part "- we need to know if you yourself ever hurt Zeke."

Wilkerson steadied himself, resting his head in his hands. "Let me get this straight, Director Vance," he said dully, "less than an hour ago I was informed that my wife was killed. Now you tell me she was whoring our son out. And now you want to know if I ever touched him?" The anger grew in his voice and he sat up straight. The rage emanating off him was palpable, even Gibbs was a little intimidated. "Let me tell you this right here, right now. Fuck. You. I would never – _could_ never – hurt that child. He's my life, my blood, my reason for living. He's the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last thing I think of when I go to sleep. I say a prayer on the North Star every evening for him. So, once more in case you missed it: fuck you. I'm going home." He stood up and calmly walked out the door.

Gibbs glanced at Vance, who jerked his head towards the door. He waited a beat before following Wilkerson out. He didn't have to go far to look; the Commander was sitting in the emergency stairwell crying silently. Gibbs sat on the step next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know you hate him right now Cameron," he said softly, "there are times when I hate him too. But please just try and understand this from our point of view – it's a question that has to be asked, no matter how difficult. We had to see how you'd react. It's our duty as Law Enforcement Officers to protect the innocent. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Wilkerson wiped his face on his sleeve. "Gibbs," he struggled to find the words, "is my boy okay? I mean _really_ okay?"

Gibbs took a deep breath. This was going to be hell. "Cameron, he's a strong kid – mentally. Therapy will help him deal with the issues as he grows, but he's already showing signs that he's able and willing to trust again."

"What about physically?"

"That's a different story. One of the men... made him sick. Zeke is HIV positive."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10. Last chapter! **

Tony was as good as his word – on their way into the Navy Yard, he and Zeke detoured via Krispy Kreme, and picked up a mixed dozen for the team. He dawdled as he handed over the money, hoping to delay the inevitable, but Zeke was impatient and ready to go. Tony finally realised you could only waste so much time buying donuts, so they got back in the car and left, the Agent sitting very much on the speed limit. Fifteen minutes later they arrived in the garage; Zeke was out of the car like a shot and sprinting for the elevator. Tony couldn't help but smile; the kid's excitement was contagious.

Meanwhile, Commander Wilkerson was trying desperately to make sense of what Gibbs had told him. "My son... he has AIDS?" He put his head in his hands once more.

"HIV," corrected Gibbs quietly, "and according to the doctors it's only in the very early stages. So while there's no cure, it's very treatable, and there is a real chance it won't develop."

"Oh great," Wilkerson shot back sarcastically, "fucking _wonderful_. So my child has no future ahead of him, and you're sitting here telling me that everything is gonna be all sunshine and rainbows. Gibbs, people die from HIV! My son has a death sentence!"

Gibbs wouldn't back down. "Yeah, he does. But he doesn't know it yet. So you've got two choices Wilkerson – you can either be a man and raise him right, giving him the medications and keeping him informed of his sickness, all the while enjoying what time you have together. Or, you can take the coward's way out. He's sick, but he's not dead yet. Hold onto that."

"What the hell would you know Gibbs, you wouldn't understand," he snapped. Fire appeared in the blue eyes of the man in front of him and he backed down immediately.

Gibbs tone was gentle, but there was no doubting the intent in his words. "My child was taken from me while I was overseas. I never got to say goodbye. You have a choice here Commander. I suggest you think about your next move before I take you to see your son."

* * *

Zeke sat on DiNozzo's chair spinning it around and making it go up and down. "Tony," he whined, "where's my dad? I wanna see him!"

Tony put his hands on the chair's armrests to stop it spinning. "Just relax buddy, he's here somewhere. He's probably up with Gibbs and Mr Vance right now." I hope, he thought. "Meantime, why don't we do something _other_ than trash my desk? I know..." he bent down and whispered in Zeke's ear, who started to giggle. Tony opened a drawer and pulled out two straws and a sheet of paper. He silently showed the boy what to do, who quickly followed suit, and then he gestured towards McGee. Without saying a word, he winked at Zeke and the two of them blew identical spitballs at the Probie, who promptly spun around to glare at them. The sight of the little boy giggling stopped his frown and he good-naturedly threw a balled-up piece of paper back in their direction.

Tony's cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID before answering it, and quickly moved out of earshot of Zeke. "Hey Boss, how'd you go with Wilkerson?"

"_He says he never touched Zeke and I believe him."_

"But there's a problem." DiNozzo recognised the tone in his Boss' voice.

"_He's scared. And angry. I don't think he knows how to handle this."_

"Gibbs, Zeke is down here with me. He's been bouncing around since 6:30 because he's going to see his dad today. What the fuck do I do?"

"_You wait, DiNozzo. Keep him distracted for a little longer. I'll be down shortly one way or another with the Commander."_

DiNozzo glanced over his shoulder only to see a full-blown paper fight between McGee and Zeke. He grinned. "Will do Boss. See you soon." He hung up and went back to his desk, and joined in the fight.

* * *

Gibbs pocketed his phone with a sigh. This whole situation is just beyond ridiculous, he thought. What kind of father would abandon their child? Images of his beloved flashed through his brain but he quickly blocked them. _He_ didn't abandon Kelly, he had a job to do. She was taken from him, not the other way round. He knocked his head gently against the wall, almost as if to knock some sense into himself. Now was not the time for melancholy, not when there's a job still to do. He opened the door to the emergency stairwell and stood behind Wilkerson. "Well?" he said.

Wilkerson was silent for a minute. When he spoke, his voice was almost void of emotion. "Zeke was our miracle baby. We tried for years to fall pregnant – Alison only had one viable ovary. We tried IVF so many times, had our names down for adoption, went through acupunture, hypno-therapy, reiki – you name it, we did it. When we found out Ali was pregnant we were over the moon. My CO made sure I would be home for the birth; he knew what we'd gone through for this child. Zeke was born, and I knew I would never take another breath without knowing he was safe. He was perfect. Ten fingers, ten toes, his mother's eyes..." he choked up slightly but pressed on. "I was sent back to sea a few months after he was born, but I knew that Ali would rather die than let anything happen to him." He turned to look at Gibbs with a raw pain in his eyes. "I've been trying to pick where the wheels fell off. Ali was always the devoted mother, a wonderful wife and homemaker. She never wanted to go back to work, she just wanted to stay home with Zeke. Now I wonder if all the time she was alone with him she was grooming him... for..." his voice broke and he began to sob again.

Gibbs sat down on the steps once more. "Cameron, don't do this to yourself. What's done is done, and unfortunately you can't ask her why. What you can do is be there for your son. Take care of him, and give him the proper love and devotion he needs. He loves you so much, he needs his dad." Gibbs placed a comforting hand on Wilkerson's shoulder. "He blames himself for his Mom's death – don't make this harder on him. If you abandon him, you're no better than she was."

Wilkerson nodded, taking in everything he said. He sighed deeply, and rubbed his hands over his face. He stood up and straightened his uniform, mentally pulling himself together. Turning to face Gibbs, he met the former Marine's eyes with a strength he didn't know existed. "Thanks," he said softly.

Gibbs smiled. "Let's go find your boy."

* * *

The paper fight in the bullpen was over – now, Zeke was busy assisting Tony in tampering with Ziva's phone and computer. A voice in DiNozzo's ear growled, "you really think that's the best idea?"

DiNozzo jumped and put a hand on his chest. "Jesus Boss, you scared me!"

Gibbs smirked, then turned to Zeke. "Hey buddy, there's someone here to see you." He stepped aside; Wilkerson had been standing behind him.

Zeke's eyes widened. "Dad!" he cried, and flew into his father's arms. Wilkerson scooped him up in a giant hug and kissed him over and over.

"Oh my boy, my little man, I'm so happy to see you," he whispered, tears running down his face. He looked over at DiNozzo. "Thank you, thank you so much."

DiNozzo walked over and placed a hand on Zeke's back. "Look after him, that's all the thanks I need," he said, echoing Jackie's words. He turned on his heel and headed for the elevator. He needed time to think.

While he waited for it to arrive, he felt a tug on his jacket. He looked down in surprise. Zeke. The child beckoned him down to his level, before throwing his arms tightly around DiNozzo's neck. "Can I come visit you sometime Tony?" he asked shyly.

"Anytime kid," Tony replied. He pulled a business card out of his pocket and handed it to him. "You ever need me – need someone to talk to, or you're in trouble, you just call me okay? I'll come running, you just watch me." Zeke studied the card before slipping it into his own pocket. Tony ruffled his hair. "Take care of yourself Zeke." The elevator doors opened, and Tony stepped in. He held his hand up in a wave as the doors closed.

* * *

Tony didn't return to the Yard that day. Gibbs called him at one stage, but all he got was a brief 'I'm okay, Boss' before he hung up. Gibbs knew better than to push. Tony would manipulate the thoughts and emotions into something more manageable, and if he still needed help, _then _he'd go to his boss. No, Gibbs wasn't worried. Still, he thought, it might be an idea to check on him before I go home.

Gibbs arrived at DiNozzo's apartment a little before 7. He knocked on the door. No answer. Knocked again. Still no answer. He pulled out the spare key DiNozzo had given him in case of emergencies, and let himself in. No lights were on and the television was off. Huh. DiNozzo was definitely not home. Gibbs thought for a minute, then smiled to himself. He knew exactly where his Senior Agent was.

He heard the tell-tale footsteps on the floor above him, signalling the arrival of his Boss. "Took you long enough," he called out.

Gibbs walked down into his basement, noticing with some surprise that DiNozzo wasn't drinking. "Off the sauce tonight Tony?" he asked.

"Thought about it," shrugged DiNozzo, "but it wasn't gonna work. Not tonight anyway."

Gibbs didn't say anything, just moved a few planks off a saw horse and sat down.

The two men sat in companionable silence, a routine they had done so many times over the years. Gibbs looked over at DiNozzo, wondering when his Agent had gotten so old. "You done good Tony."

DiNozzo smiled bitterly. "Boss, it's not gonna work tonight, so don't even think about it." He stood up and began pacing agitatedly. "How's this for a laugh Gibbs? For one teeny-tiny minute today I thought that Wilkerson was going to leave, say he couldn't take care of Zeke. For one minute I thought 'fantastic! I'll take him!' and then just as quickly that little fantasy was crushed. Who the hell am I kidding? I'm happy for Zeke that he gets to go home with his Dad, I'm happy that the two of them have each other – but I'm so fucking angry at the same time!"

"Who are you angry with?" questioned Gibbs.

"Me! My father! You! Vance! Alison Wilkerson! Just... everyone!" he yelled. He clenched his fists and pounded them into the punching bag hanging in the corner. He beat the bag with everything he had, until he was left breathless and holding onto it for dear life.

Gibbs approached with caution, he knew this could go either way. "This isn't one of your movies Tony," he said quietly, "you knew deep down that there would be no 'happily ever after'."

DiNozzo turned to look at him with bleak eyes. He hung his head. "I know."

"Hey, look at me," Gibbs said, raising his chin with two fingers, "you will get through this. You will. And one day, you'll have a son of your own and you can do the right thing by him – permanently."

Tony shrugged. "Maybe. So what happens now?"

"Now, we go upstairs. We eat. And then we move forward. One day at a time, Tony."

_*******Thanks everyone for all your kind words along this journey. It has made the world of difference to me. Special thanks to Jen and MJ for your encouragement. Will have a drink for you girls! Cheers!*******_


End file.
